Snap hook



July 22 1924.

J.- P. .MATTSON SNAP HOOK Fil'ed Nov. 8, 1923 JNVEJVTOR.

Y flTTORNEY.

at its end the usual ring Fatentecl July 22, .1924.

a tso gsi JOHN P. MATTSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

SNAP

Application filed'November s, 1923.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JOHN P. MATTSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain "new and useful Improvements in SnapHooks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to snap hooks used on harnesses, bridles, draftappliances and other devices where snap hooks are used.

The object is to provide a simple snap hook that can not be opened orclosed accidentally.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is what may be termed a front edge view of my improved snap hookattached to a leather strap and engaged in the ring of a bridle bit.

Fig. 2 is a section about as on the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a portion of Fig. 2 with the hook proper in open position.

Fig. 4 is a detail front view of the hook 9 only. i Q

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 5 is a portion of abridle bit having 5*. To illustrate at least one of the uses of my snaphook I have shown it as engaged in said ring 5*.

The snap hook comprises a body piece 6 having an eye 7 adapted to besecured to a leather strap 8, and a hook member 9 pivoted at -l0 to thebody piece near the rear end of a longitudinal slot 11 formed therein.The pivoted end of the hook has a plain angular end face 12 betweenwhich and the nearest terminal 13 of the slot is inserted a slidable key14 which prevents accidental opening of the hook by resisting thecorners 9 of its flat end. The key has a shoulder 15 engaged by theswingable end 16 of a leaf spring 17, which has its other end 18supported in a notch 19 in the body piece. A small cross bar or bridge20 in the slot gives tension to the leaf spring and also engages anoffset 21 of the spring to hold it constantly with its end 18 in thenotch 19.

When the hook is to be opened the operator pushes with a finger at theend 14 of the key 14 until the latter gets into the position shown inFig. 3, and thus presents its clearance 14 diagonal to the heel 9 of thehook 9, and thereby allows the hook to tion to the terminal of HOOK.

Serial No. 673,615.

be swung open. When open it will stay thus until closed spring is notstrong enough to close the hook as long as the heel 9 tion to be swungby the key 14 and its spring, but rather to resist closing of the hookby standing against the surface 14 by the hand, because the.

is not in a posi- I The hook might even swing so faropen as toresistforcible closing, but such swinging is prevented by side shoulder 22 onthe hook stopping against the edges 23 of the slot in the body piece. A.touch of the hand will however close the hook, and when closed or nearlyclosed the spring 17 and key 14 act automatically to lock it until thekey is again pressed or pushed into unlocking position. In other wordsthe contact of the heel or .part 14 of the key and heel 9 of the hookhold the hook closed. When heel 14 is pushed away the hook 1s easilyopened.

It will be noted that the key may have a notch 24 for the end of spring17. It may also havea rest in a notch 26 in the body piece either orboth means will prevent undue forward movement of the key 14 which mightcause it to get separated and lost.

Other means may of course also limit the movement of the key but as theywould be mechanical equivalents to the means shown I consider itsuperfluous to describe them;

The device may be either drop forged or cast. In casting it no core isneeded since the sand in the cope will easily lift out of the slightdepressions 19 and 26 and the sand in the flask will draw. downward outof the groove 11.

lVhat'I claim is:

l. A snap hook comprising a body'member having an eye for securing it inplace of service, said member having a longitudinal slot, a secondmember having a flat and angular end pivoted in the slot in spacedrelathe slot nearest "said eye, the other end of the second member beinghook shaped and arranged to close with its point against the free end ofthe body member, a key fitted to slide transversely in the slot snuglybetween the terminal thereof and the angular end of the pivoted hookmember, whereby the latter is normally held in closed position, a springarranged to normally hold the key with the hook closed, said ,key havingits rear end protruding through the slot to give a chance IOU to push itendways when the hook is to be p Said; sav ha i g ing e. heels an issufliciently pushe of its spring.

2. The structure specified-- in claim 1, and

forward movement of means limiting the the slide.

3. The structure speei fied which e end th ngtbenea1 en 1111 1t, mm -9hish P. he is. onetendi in t ing th P sh; t ei-a. i i ig e e wans aQlearanee al o pe v when t ey d against the resistance aim n said springis a leaf spring held by from and: of he at and press ng gain the eyrelation, t he ation with the hook,

and said spring being readily detachable from the body member.

5. The stnucturespecified in claim 1,, said hook member of the devicehaving one or more side shoulders arranged to stop against the bodypiece when the hook is fully opened.

6'. The structure specified in claim 1, said hook memberv of the devicehaving one or more side shoulders arranged to stop against the bodypiece hen the hook is,

fully opened, and said key having an edge portion adapted to engage thepivoted end of the hook and prevent accidental closing of the hook-When' its shoulders are against e body P Intestimony whereof I affi mysignature.

JQHN P. MAJTTSON.

